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New York City's free gigabit WiFi comes to Brooklyn

It's only in Bed-Stuy for now, but it's a start.

John Taggart/Bloomberg via Getty Images

LinkNYC's free, gigabit-grade WiFi is all over large chunks of New York City, but there's a conspicuous Brooklyn-sized gap... or rather, there was. The communication network has switched on its first two Brooklyn kiosks, both of them on Fulton Street in the Bed-Stuy area. Don't worry about having to visit a small part of the borough to get no-cost internet access, though. There are nine other Brooklyn hotspots due to go online in the weeks ahead, including some near LIU-Brooklyn and Prospect Park.

Staten Island also has its first kiosk, so those in the southwestern corner of the city don't have to cross a bridge to see what the fuss is about.

As before, the LinkNYC kiosks aren't just about free internet access. You also have free domestic calls (including easy connections to 311 and 911) and USB ports to charge your mobile devices. While you can't browse the web from them like you could early on, they're potentially crucial to the homeless, travelers and others who don't have guaranteed internet and phone service in the Big Apple.